The small collection of 36 items contains 20 letters and postcards of Richard Feynman to his childhood friend Elmer W.Heller,
in addition to letters from others to Elmer Heller, including two letters from Arline Greenbaum, Feynman's first wife. Also
included are some miscellaneous documents and photos related to Richard Feynman. The collection was assembled and donated
by Elmer Heller's brother, Joseph Heller.

Background

As related by Joseph Heller, he and his brother were childhood friends of Richard Feynman in Far Rockaway, New York. Mr. Heller's
older brother, Elmer, was born in the same year as Feynman but apparently was a year ahead in school. The two were good friends
because of their mutual interest in mathematics and science. Both attended Far Rockaway High School, from which they graduated
in 1934 and 1935 respectively. Joseph Heller was a few years younger; his birth year is not clearly stated in information
conveyed to the Caltech Archives. Elmer W. Heller attended Purdue University where he majored in mechanical engineering, and
Feynman attended MIT. The bulk of the letters and postcards exchanged between Elmer Heller and Feynman date from the years
1935 and 1936 when both were in college. According to an interview recorded with Joseph Heller by the Caltech Archives, Elmer
Heller worked in Palmer Laboratory at Princeton University on the Manhattan Project along with Feynman during World War II.
There are no letters between Heller and Feynman in the collection after 1940. According to the same interview, Elmer Heller
resided in Israel for some years after the war but returned to the US to Los Angeles in the early to mid-1950s, when he joined
North American Rockwell. Joseph Heller also moved to Los Angeles where he reestablished contact with Richard Feynman in the
1950s when Feynman had been recruited to Caltech. Elmer Heller also reportedly had contact with Feynman in the same period.
Further information about early years in Far Rockaway and later contacts, as well as about early friends and relationships--including
concerning Feynman's first wife, Arline Greenbaum--is available in Joseph Heller's oral history of May 5, 2010. Elmer Heller died on June 13, 2009, in Laguna Hills, California. An obituary was published in the Los Angeles
Times on June 20, 2009.

Extent

0.25 linear feet

Restrictions

Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Caltech Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and, unless explicitly stated otherwise,
is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Availability

The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access.